I went to a local shop today to ask about recovering seats for my '55 Buick. Split back front bench and a typical GM 2-piece rear seat. He says he'll clean and paint the metal frames, replace all the padding etc. make and install pleated vinyl for $800-$900. That's with me bringing him the loose seats. He had a '55 Caddy convertible in there that he was doing the entire interior along with a really nice 32-ish hot rod and a 40-ish street-rod. The work all looked good. What do you guys think of the price? What questions should I ask him about the material, stitching etc? I've never had upholstery done before. He also said he could do it in leather for about $300 more. Is leather worth the price? Thanks, Eric
Im not sure the pricing to get interior work done,i got a quote from a local shop here where i live for my car and it was pretty salty.I ended up geting my wife to do it for me.it took longer for her to finish but it was free labor and only cost me material.
That price is great, and cheaper than a shop here in NJ. $300.00 more for leather ? Maybe "Ultra-Leather", but not from a hide. At least, not around here.
It would depend on the actual design that you want on the seats and the material used but if he's replacing ALL the padding (sometimes they tell you that but just add some on top and you'll never know) he's in the ballpark. At least that's probably about what I would do it for.. Lot's of variables here. Just top stitch pleats, roll and pleat etc etc. If you called me I would not give you a phone estimate under any circumstances so the trimmer there knows more about it than I do. Leather ? Only you can answer that.A hide right now goes for about $400. If the seats are all leather, you might be looking at 3-4 hides, so the math doesn't work for me.Unless they are cheap Chinese hides, then run, don't walk.
I didn't call, I was there. We used the '55 Caddy seats to discuss what I wanted as they're similiar, just a bit bigger. The design was simply pleated on all the seating surfaces and smooth around the bottom, sides, etc. I kinda believe him about changing everything because he went out of his way to mention it and explain how he doesn't want me to have smells in the future. I also explained how the seats are pretty much destroyed by rats. Can you explain the difference in the pleats you mention? I assume the top stitch is cheaper and easier? Thanks.
i paid $400 for my seat and i cleaned and painted it myself..they did a good job..so that price sounds fair..
I guess I was hoping it would be cheaper, but I thought it sounded fair as well. I'm more concerned with getting a good job, than saving a couple of bucks and I just don't know crap about upholstery, so I'm a little nervous.
Well , basically on one you will see the thread and the other you won't. And the pleats will be deeper. The first is cheaper (about same amount material but less labor) My point was he has seen the seats and I have not, so in this case he's more informed than I.
Price is good but it sure ain"t real leather at that price. Does he have any of his prior jobs you can look at before you decide and get a screwed up job?
We were discussing fake leather at one point. You guys all seem to agree. Maybe we misunderstood each other and I thought we were talking real leather and he was still on the fake leather. Like I said the cars he was working on looked good. The street rod wasn't really my thing with two-tone bright yellow and black interior, but the work looked good. I'm glad he had the Caddy there as it's most like my car. I'd be thrilled if my seats looked like the ones he was finishing for that car. Thanks for the replies everybody.
I'm hoping that the leather craze or fad is going away. Even on new cars, folks get all goo goo over leather seats, until they have to pay to get them fixed. The leather the major auto firms use is still good stuff but there is some really cheap shit out there too. Some of the new vinyls are wonderful to work with , look great , and you don't have to worry about the dye coat rubbing off or the obligatory stress wrinkles showing up. Leather and tweed, be glad to see 'em go.
I think that is a great price. I had some turkey charge me 300 bucks just to fit premade covers to two seats. I had to buy the covers separately and get him to fit them because they were just too tight for me to fit. So, I'd say do it. I have the same setup as you and am keen to see the outcome. Nothing smells nicer than leather, but I think vinyl is easier to live with as leather needs conditioning regularly. I bought a product called "new leather" which feels like leather but is some kind of man made by product. At least that was what the sales pitch read. The upholsterer just said it's either leather or it aint. Anyway, I'd be looking at some of his samples. I'd be buying whatever doesn't scorch yer ass when you sit on it
i took my roadster to a shop asked just to do my seat they said 350 to 425 if i took it out then i sent a buddie with a 80's pick up same material he told him 125 to 175
The price he quoted you is a good price, especially when you saw in person how the quality of his work is. And for the love of God....please pay the extra for the leather. You'll be thankful that you did. Its so worth it its not even funny.
The price seems very reasonable - to me at least. And this is just my opinion, if you can get real leather for only $300 more than the vinyl quote, go for it. But, be sure that the leather is vat dyed, which ensures that the color is dyed through from the top of the hide right through to the back side. Some hides are only surface dyed and that is not good as the hydes will show every little scratch mark. In my opinion, as I said, leather is the way to go. And also, from my experience, it is not that much more than the fake Ultra Leather or Pleather, as it is sometimes called. If you have time, look on eBay for "leather hides" and you can get some screaming deals. Whatever you chose, good luck...
Maybe he was just planning using leather on the tops and fronts of the seats, like most if not all new cars are done today. That would get closer on the price he quoted.
I was quoted 3500 to 5000 from a big name shop in Houston for my 55 buick, seats door pannels , headliner. I told him that was a little more than i wanted to spend, but I sure would like a hit of the joint he had smoked...
If you're talking about a complete interior, seats, door panels ,windlace ,headliner, package tray,kick panels and carpet, $3000-3500 would be about where I would start the pricing. And depending on what you wanted and how complex it easily could go up to $5g. And I'm not smoking anything.
why not price around? put the seat in the back of your truck and get some more quotes. try ridgefield auto upholstery, custom interior and audio [classic upholstery] in Danbury or federal auto seat cover in brookfield to name a few. comparing prices around the country will just confuse the issue. i use classic upholstery in danbury.
Cheap isnt always good. I took my car to a guy in Enid, OK who had been doing interiors for 50 years who has some high end cars including some fairly HAMB famous cars under his belt. It was a very good price based on where he was located and that his overhead was low. What a mother f*&@^$*! mistake! Total hack job who did more damage than good and he didn't even finish the job. He creditied me some of the money due to not completing it, but it's no compensation considering the job has to be redone. My suggestion is to find somewhere close to home, check as many refrences as you can, and dont settle for the cheapest bid as it's been said a thousand times, you get what you pay for. I would have been better off paying the higher bids because when it's going to cost me more than that to redo it and I will never get the gouge out of the roof where they scratched it. One last thing and this goes for any work you are having done, if the shop is a pigstye; leave! Its a direct reflection of the job you will receive...
I pay in the $150 range for a mid grade leather hide. I sure couldn't do an open back and a closed back bench with two hides, but i could probably just do the plates. So 300- 400 for the leather would probably be just right for just doing the plates. If you like leather get the leather. Just make sure you condition every 6 months or so. If you don't like doing upkeep, don't get leather.
geeman and tb33anda3rd give sound advise. We can talk price a long time but the various areas of the country will all have different pricing. A job I might do here for $2000 if taken just 6o miles South of me will run at least another 800- 1000. Larger metro areas can be higher or lower. My building and equipment are paid for, but the next guy might be paying $1000-$1500/month rent, or may have employees which drive up his overhead. If a trim shop does good work and the price is fair for his locale, then he can't be put down for the estimate he gives.Just take them somewhere else for another estimate. Clean shop an indicator of work ?. You bet ! If you work in filth, you'll likely let stuff go out the door that a clean shop owner will not.
The price sounds great if you have seen the guys work and are happy with it. I paid around 600 for my predone covers, thats not including all of the work I did to refoam the seats, and put all new burlap in it. Good luck my friend
to me the price sounds fair, depending on where you live the leather (real) could be very hot in summer and cold in the winter, as is vinyl, I just like the comfort of cloth on the seating surface here in Floridy- maybe a combo would do well. that's alot of work and material so your upholsterer certainly won't be retiring off your job!
I was going to compare to Classic in Danbury. I guess you're happy with them. I know it's hard to compare prices around the country, but I got great feedback on this thread that helped me a bunch. I don't know why I'm so gun-shy about upholstery but I am.
If you like the work you have seen, the price seems fair from what i have seen in my area lately. I'm currently looking for a shop to work with in my area.
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